Back to the 2000s

We know fashion is a vicious circle: what is trendy today may not be trendy tomorrow, and what was tacky yesterday might be the next seasonal must-have. So, fashion is that dog who runs around in circles, chasing something new, but it is just his own tail. 

In the past few years, the Eighties and the most recent Ninenties have been “recovered”, the last still being on top. But, maybe, not for long. If it is true (and it is so) that fashion is a cyclical phenomenon, a new trend will soon arise from the past. 

Considering that history is not just an opinion, after the Ninenties there are the years 2000, and it seems just yesterday that they left us. It's not a bolt from the blue: there have been some warning signs of their return, but today the trend is around the corner. 

Let's just take a step back: how did we dress like in the years 2000?

We don't have to try so hard to remember it: baggy jeans, shiny acetate tracksuits with metal buttons from the hip to the ankle, skate shoes and New Era 59Fifty hat. Maybe you have still be your emo/punk-rock band t-shirts or your chenille tracksuit in your closet, or even your brother's Casio G-Shock abandoned in the drawer. And if you think to get rid of your coloured maxi-printed hoodie and your striped polo, well, if I were you I'd wait.

But the real question is: can 2000s really come back to rule today's streetwear?

Maybe it's too early to look back at the first years of the 00s nostalgically and to feel like we want to wear old (but not too much) clothes from our wardrobe. But, above all, the fashion aesthetic of that period appears to be at odds with today street style trends. 

In fact, 2016 still seems to ride the wave of minimal, raw fashion ispired by suburban atmospheres and juvenile scene. Sportwear and sneakers, neutral colours and denim are the stars of today's streets, in which the most of the excess is a chic normcore.

All of this appears incompatible with our decade-old wardrobe. However, fashion works in mysterious ways and nobody knows how we would like to get dressed tomorrow. With the right push on the natural course of trends, in a few days we might want to to dress up like in a Lizzie McGuire's episode. 

The right push could be from Ian Connor, the most influent 23-year-old kid on Instagram, who recently modelled for Kanye West, personal stylist and creative director for Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky and Kylie Jenner, or simply the “King of Youth” as he self-proclaimed himself.

His destiny has crossed the 00s when Kanye West decided to pass him his old Pastelle brand he launched in 2007-2008, that has never been sold anywhere.

So, the fate of Pastelle is in the hands of Ian Connor, which should relauch the brand and make it rise from the ashes. Some pictures from Ian Connor's Instagram account confirm that the return of Pastelle is real and close. But why it should work this time?

The premature closure of the brand was probably its safety. If Pastelle had successfully launched in 2009, we probably wouldn't be here talking about it today and it would be sunk into oblivion like other brands of that period. 

However, the rebirth of Pastelle in 2016 has many advantages in its favour: two big names like Kanye West, today more than ever on the top, even in fashion, and that of Ian Connor, popular influencer with 533mila followers on Instagram who hang off his words. The growing success in fashion of the first one and the media power of the latter are two significant elements fot the relaunch of Pastelle.

What is more, the role of streetwear in the industry nowadays has became more and more important and this works in favour of Pastelle. A brand like this, with a strong street attitude, has a better chance to succeed in 2016 than ten years ago, right when the eyes of insiders and media are on the streets rather than runways. 

We also have to consider that in 2009 social networks were just extra pastimes, compared to what they are today. Thanks to online visibility and the strong viral advertising it allows, today Pastelle finds a much more fertile ground for back on the market and gaining public love. This is proved by the fact that after few tweets and some preview Instagram pics, the whole Web has its eyes on Pastelle. 

And if it's true that 2000s style is different from today streetwear, we must not understimate Ian Connor's talent, a real hound for sniffing trends and good taste for styling, who has never missed a hit and he will be able to give Pastelle the coolest image for 2016.

So, the return of 2000s doesn't appear so impossible now, especially when there is Ian Connor's hype behind this. With the right moves, the Ian Connor x Pastelle plan could be successful. And probably it will happen. We can't know exactly when and how long it would work, but, if in doubt, you better dust off your high school clothes and take a look at your old MySpace pictures.

Welcome back 2000s.